What do people think about those who suicide for a cause.

[emma99]

Two examples come to mind

Buddhist priests setting themselves on fire.
Prison hunger strikers who die for their cause.

 

[SchizoGymnast]

I both respect and feel sorry for them.

 

[sserafim]

I find it strange because I've never been invested in a cause. I just find it hard to understand. Suicide is something I want to do for myself, not for a cause and especially not for other people

 

[turnip]

What do the monks set themselves on fire for? Genuinely curious.

 

[Kali_Yuga13]

What do the monks set themselves on fire for? Genuinely curious.

The Buddhist monks in Vietnam self-immolated in protest of religious persecution by the Roman catholic regime in the 1960's. The one famous photo made news round the world and garnered comment by JFK.

 

[ijustwishtodie]

I think that their efforts are folly and that they shouldn't bother with killing themselves for a cause. Society isn't just going to change its ways and be kind towards everybody just because you lit yourself on fire. That isn't how the world works. Society and everybody else will just move on regardless of you. Things will stay the same. Normies try their best to prevent any suicides from happening but, once a suicide actually does happen, they don't care about it and simply just move on with their life. I think that you'd have slightly more of a chance to ctb for a cause if you were a minor since all NT people are heavily biased and emotional towards minors but, even then, nothing about the world will change.

It's useless to ctb for a cause since what you're fighting for will never come to fruition

 

[rozeske]

I respect it but I could never relate. I'm not selfless enough to die for a cause. You rarely see those messages getting across and making a significant change anyways.

 

[emma99]

What do the monks set themselves on fire for? Genuinely curious.

Although not monks,
there are tow reported incidents of self engulfing in the last few months

In February 2024, Aaron Bushnell, A US airman died after setting himself on fire outside Israeli embassy in Washington

Aaron Bushnell: US airman dies after setting himself on fire outside Israeli embassy in Washington

Secret Service agents extinguished the flames during the incident on Sunday afternoon.

www.bbc.com

And in April 2024 A man set himself on fire outside the Manhattan courthouse for the Trump Trial

Live Video Stream Captures Disturbing Video As Man Lights Himself On Fire Outside Trump Trial

A live stream caught the harrowing moments a man let himself on fire outside the trial of former President Donald Trump.

www.mediaite.com

Id say its a fairly painful way to go, and its definitely the most public way someone could CTB.

 

[Ash]

I think that with a few exceptions, they generally get forgotten about very quickly. I believe that from a campaigning point of view, change takes time and it's more effective to commit to the long term struggle and remain anonymous than become a martyr.

 

[Forever Sleep]

I feel like they must at least be suicidal to begin with. I wonder if they truly are that unhappy because of the thing they're protesting against. I guess it must be a major part of it. Especially since suicides as protests often use really brutal methods. I think they're incredibly brave. I'm not sure they often succeed in drawing attention to their cause though.

Some do though- I remember the HBO documentary on Chernobyl saying that Valery Legasov's suicide by hanging on the day after the second anniversary of the disaster provoked more to be done about nuclear safety.

I suppose there's a part of me that would like to die for a cause but, it wouldn't be genuine. I'm not an activist over anything.

 

[noname223]

Online I saw people making fun of the young American man who self-immolated to protest against the war in Israel and Palestine.

 

[Someone123]

I think i read that about half of them survive, that must be terrible, and for ones who die they are in the hospital for 45 days on average before dying.

 

[Timothy7dff]

Japanese kamikazee pilots didn't want to do it. A brutal dictator made them do it and then tried to paint them as patriots.

 

[Someone123]

Japanese kamikazee pilots didn't want to do it. A brutal dictator made them do it and then tried to paint them as patriots.

It's still not a bad way to go, it's over pretty fast, I think most people here would love to do that if they could, I know I would. Trying to find a reliable way when you don't live in a house is tough, a house has so many advantages- for hanging, for co, and for other ways.

 

[Timothy7dff]

It's still not a bad way to go, it's over pretty fast, I think most people here would love to do that if they could, I know I would. Trying to find a reliable way when you don't live in a house is tough, a house has so many advantages- for hanging, for co, and for other ways.

They didn't want to die though. They were young and had families and no desire to die.

 

[Ariii]

I think that it's insanely respectable for them to be that dedicated to something. But I feel sorry for them because those types of suicides don't really change anything and they have better chances of doing so while alive. But maybe for some types of people, it's worth it to give up their lives for their beliefs simply to show that they care rather than to effectively do nothing

 

[prana]

Alternate similar question: If you're on your way out anyway why not make it "about" something? Like say you're CTB for a specific globally relevant reason just to try and make whatever difference you can with what you're going to do anyway.